what is a … housing policy officer?

What do they do all day?
A housing policy officer will have his or her fingers in several pies at once.

Other than covering housing strategy plans, they will face a range of issues each day, such as regulatory changes, national policy, homeownership, council housing and the private sector partnerships and will work across all the tenure groups.

They must also coordinate with other council bodies to deliver community safety, deal with neighbour nuisances and void properties, take care of management of repairs and maintenance, monitor services, and regeneration.

Mary Lynch, head of housing policy at Lewisham council, says: "Our main job really is to improve services and it is tough really getting into depth on something, say for letting major contracts. We are very heavily involved on a day-to-day basis with most things, so we have to keep a cool head."

That's a lot to fit in
Some days will be shorter than others, but you can expect to work 40 or more hours a week – and not the regular nine to five, either. "I sometimes have to work on a Saturday as that's the only time I can meet some tenants because they work all week," says Lynch.

But variety is the spice of life, isn't it?
"I don't have any one day that is the same," says Lynch. "One minute you are writing a project, but an hour later you are meeting tenants about a new service or going to deliver the latest policy to the council. You can spend an awful lot of time out of the office. You need a lot of coffee."

One minute you are writing a project, an hour later you’re meeting tenants. We are heavily involved with most things

Mary Lynch, head of housing policy, Lewisham council

Sounds tough
"Having to communicate what the issues are to tenants, especially when they are less than happy about them, is the biggest challenge," says Lynch.

"You have to motivate them to be able to accept the changes and help implement them. Things also change so much that it can be a challenge keeping on top of it. But it is all quite exciting."

What's the most rewarding part?
"I think seeing things come to fruition," says Lynch. "You spend an awful lot of time on ideas and strategies that never come to light so it is particularly rewarding when something you have worked hard on, and think can really make a difference, makes it."

Would I need qualifications?
Very few housing officers don't have either a degree or a qualification from the Chartered Institute of Housing. Communication and writing skills are also essential.